


The Edge

by soranokumo



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Canon - Original Game, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2014-11-06
Packaged: 2018-02-24 07:58:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2574071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soranokumo/pseuds/soranokumo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reno wins a bet, and decides to share his good fortune with Cloud, whether Cloud appreciates it or not. Bird boy seriously needs to lighten up, yo. Original game canon only. PWP, some mild knifeplay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Edge

"You know," Reno said, putting a file down on Tseng's desk, "maybe reining him in would be more effective if we started charging Reeve for all the traffic violations."

Tseng just raised an eyebrow, and opened the folder, revealing the latest round of weekly reports from the military police, including several traffic and security camera shots of a sleek and surprisingly small black motorcycle, and its rider. Violating speed regulations, violating traffic rules... the current list of violations were impressive, but even more amusing is the continued plea for support from the Turks to apprehend the black rider.

"At least he keeps the MPs on their toes," Tseng mutters, and puts the file aside, looks up at Reno. "What are you smirking about?"

"Current betting pool says whoever guesses how close Strife lets 'em get to him next time gets the pot, which is sitting at a nice cool five thousand gil and a bottle of Rude's favorite whiskey. Want in?"

***

It wasn't uncommon anymore to see the Turks at Seventh Heaven. Once Reno had gleefully stuck his foot in his mouth and confirmed that Tifa was not, in fact, sleeping with Cloud, he reported it to Rude and Rude became a regular at the bar. Reno waited until the bruise from Tifa's punch had cleared up before showing his face there again, but he started coming by, and once in a while even Tseng and Elena would show up.

Tifa had started out cool to them, but took their money all the same... And the more often they came around, the more time passed since Meteor fell, and she started warming up to them.

Which is why Reno feels he has no problem coming in a full hour before the bar opens.

"Yo, Tifa!" he says, cheerfully, and Tifa looks up from where she's checking things off an inventory list.

"Reno," she says, and points at the door with the pencil in her hand. "I know you're not as bright as Rude, but the sign reads 'Closed.' You're not getting drunk here yet."

"Hey, I'm plenty smart where it counts," Reno says, plopping his ass down on a bar stool and enjoying a full twirl before planting his elbows on the highly polished counter. "So, where's bird boy?"

Tifa's mouth quirks up. "None of your business~"

"Awww, but I feel like I owe him one." When she glances up at him again, he grins. "Made me a little bit richer with his stunts last night, 's all."

"His stunts..." Tifa puts down the clipboard and pencil, and covers her face with her hands. "Oh, gods, he told me he wasn't doing that anymore."

He snickers. "Well, somebody's lying, and we got the photos to prove it. Where the hell does he hide that thing, anyway?"

"None of your business."

Tifa turns her head with a frown, planting a hand on her hip at the sound of that voice, and Reno follows her gaze to the doorway that leads to the backrooms, and the stairs up to the apartment where the two lived. Cloud's there, dressed casually, arms crossed and shoulder leaning against the doorframe.

"Cloud, is it true?" Tifa asks, before Reno can even fling a response back at him. "He says you've been racing around again."

Glowing blue eyes slide from Tifa to Reno, and Reno doesn't flinch from the intensity. Being a Turk for as long as he has means the Mako-enhanced features don't startle him, but even Reno has to admit that Cloud's eyes seem to have a more luminescent quality to them than he remembers from last time.

"Mm," is the noncommital response, and Tifa sighs, picks up her clipboard, and starts going down the list again.

"Well, he says he wants to see you, so get him out of here so I can get ready for opening, okay?"

"Mm," Cloud repeats, and straightens from his place at the doorframe. "This isn't a clever ploy to bring me in?"

Reno hops up from the bar stool. "Nope. Why the hell would I wanna do that? It's funny as hell to watch the video feeds. Might wanna cut it out for Rufus's sake, though--gonna look bad if it starts hitting the news again."

"Out," Tifa says, more loudly, as she crouches down and opens up a cabinet.

Something on Cloud's face softens, somehow, though Reno's not entirely certain what does it--something about the muscles around his eyes, maybe--and he motions for the Turk to follow him. Reno follows along with his hands jammed into his pockets, a bit curious as Cloud goes back through the doorway--they hadn't been allowed past the bar before--but Cloud doesn't give him time to see much. He just goes into the kitchen and straight out the backdoor, stepping out into the alley beside the building.

"What do you want?" Cloud asks, standing in that odd little way he does, hand on hip, gaze averted, looking anywhere but at the person he's speaking to. It irks Reno, and without asking for Cloud's okay he taps out a cigarette. The motion does it, of course, makes Cloud look at him as he lights up, takes a drag.

"Nothin' much, kiddo. Just wanted to share some of the good fortune you gave me." When Cloud's brow furrows, Reno grins. "We'd been placing bets. Last night I won. 'S all."

"Placing bets on my riding?" Cloud says, and if anything Reno's grin stretches wider.

"Yep. Not gonna give you the final figure, but it's a nice addition to my booze allowance for the year, I tell you." Reno takes another drag, breathes out a stream of smoke, and looks up at the gaps in the ruined plate. It's cloudy, but that isn't too surprising. It's always cloudy around Midgar. It's just less dark during the day. "So... Whaddya say? Lemme take you out for a night. You've been cooped up in the damn bar too long. Well, ignoring the joyrides."

"Out for a night. To do what?"

"Booze. Party. Drugs if you're into that sorta thing, I know a guy with some good stuff that technically ain't illegal."

A sigh, and he just looks away again. "Not interested."

"Yeah?" Reno says. "Then tell me why the hell you keep disappearing into the Edge."

Oh, that gets his attention. Cloud's eyes come up too quickly, just a little too wide, before he frowns at the Turk. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh-huh. I was trying to be nice and, like, not mention this in front of Tifa, but the surveillance records and reports and shit make it pretty damned clear that you're not spending that many of your nights here." Reno snickers. "Good job of it, too. Tifa ain't figured it out yet. You got your bike stored out there, too, huh?"

The frown's still there. "What do you want, Reno?"

"I told you. Wanna take you out. Seems like you got some party left in you, somewhere in there, though you're doing a great job hiding it right now, kid. Didn't Zack ever tell you not to do that too long or else it'll get stu--"

The punch, when it comes, is totally expected and easily dodged. It's the follow-up that Reno doesn't expect, the way Cloud's other arm comes up like a steel bar across his throat, pushing him against the wall. And Cloud's glaring now, and it's the best damn glare he's ever seen, the way the irises just burn brighter as his eyes narrow.

"How the hell do you know Zack?" Cloud grates out through clenched teeth. He lets up enough that Reno can catch his breath, speak up.

"Dammit, kid, ain't like it's a conspiracy or nothin'. Who else do you think was the damned Turk he went out drinking with?"

There's the furrow to Cloud's brow again, the one that disappears quickly, but Cloud lets up on him immediately, stepping back.

"What's the matter?" Reno asks, dusting off his blazer. "Don't remember?"

"Shut up," Cloud says, turning back to the door. "And go away."

Reno just watches as he goes up the short steps to the backdoor, disappears back inside the bar. He grins, and shoves his hands into his pockets, and starts back to Sector Zero, to the Shinra complex. Ain't the best way to spend his lunchtime, but it's a start. For something, anyway.

***

The Edge is the thin line of shady streets lying at the point where Sector Six meets Sector Seven's ruins. The place had been ripe for scavenging parties, originally, right after Meteor fell, but in their wake moved in the businesses. Wall Market is considered the norm these days, where even all the old above-plate people shop now; the Edge is where the shit goes down.

Shinra first tried to keep the place from turning into a nest of bars and black markets, but Reeve was finally convinced that the misfits needed somewhere to let off their steam that wasn't going to impact the reconstruction efforts unduly. And Rufus had agreed, and that was that.

So Reno leans against the edge of a rooftop, watching the people down below, as more and more show up for their evening pastimes. There's a group of Wutai yakuza, headed into one of the brothels—he makes a mental note of that, they should get in touch with the madam that runs the joint, see if they can't squash them out soon—there're some rich dilettantes from above-plate trying to slum it, winding their way from one hole in the wall to the next. There's even a man that Reno recognizes straight off as a Shinra manager, out of his suit, looking about nervously before darting into one of the bars. Reno blinks and grins, at that—the manager was totally married, had family, kids, a dog, the whole nine yards, but he just tucked himself into a gay bar.

"Takes all kinds," he mutters around his cigarette, and idly checks his watch. "Man, I even waited a few days so he'd think it safe to come out. C'mon, Strife, don't disappoint—"

A flash of color catches his attention, and Reno looks down to see a small blond dressed in black squatting down beside an alley, and petting one of the stray cats in the area. Reno sniffs, grins, and waits to see which particular vice Cloud is satisfying out here in the Edge, but the damned kid drops the cat some food from the small messenger bag he's got on his back and backs off into the alley, melting from view in the blink of an eye. When Reno doesn't hear the sound of a motorcycle engine starting within a minute, he shimmies down the building's fire escape and starts across the street, and then at the edge of the alley turns around, rests his back against the brick.

The cat looks up at him, blinking large green eyes at him, and he just grins before saying, "Yeah, so, what was that about not coming out to the Edge?" The cat settles on its haunches and just starts grooming, and Reno risks taking a look out of the corner of his eye, and is rewarded with the prettiest damn glare he's ever seen.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up and go away?" The voice is a low hiss, and Reno laughs.

"You thought it would work? Man, we gotta fight again, beat some sense back into you. Reconstruction's making you soft, yo." He flicks the stub of his cigarette away, and keeps his head down, still looking like he's talking to the cat to anyone bothering to watch. "So, this the only pussy you're petting down here, or—"

"What the hell does it matter to you?" And… there're some sounds going on back there. Like, fabric sounds. The alley's too dark for someone without the Mako enhancements to see, and the kid keeps his glow subdued—it's a neat trick, he always wondered how they do it—so whatever he's doing isn't immediately obvious.

"You… changing?" Reno asks.

The sound of boots, boots with some serious heels, and Reno drops pretenses to look up as Cloud gets close enough for the streetlights to illumine… just enough, enough for Reno to see. And damn. Hot damn. Black leather pants tucked into tall black boots, and the pants are tight as hell and hugging Cloud's hips in a way that—hell, he hadn't even really thought about the kid having hips, the damn sword harness and his usual clothes didn't really accent it. And then there's the sleeveless duster, and the long gloves on each arm, and the hint of godsdamned makeup on he pale face—a touch of gloss on the lips, a touch of shimmer for eyeshadow, and the golden-tipped lashes had been darkened to make their full length all the more obvious. Cloud's black bag, instead of thrown over a shoulder, is slung at his waist. If the duster didn't hang open, exposing his bare chest, he could pass as a woman. No damned doubt about it.

Cloud stands in that odd little way of his, one foot forward, hand on his hip, while his other runs through his hair, as if to tousle it if it needed more mussing. "If you tell anyone," Cloud says, "I'll kill you. Or is that the point of this? Blackmail?"

The cat is rubbing against one of Cloud's legs. Reno wishes he could do the same. "Hells no, but… what the hell, Strife? Looks like I could ask you the same question."

He sighs, then shakes his head. "Look, if it bothers you so much—there's a place here, and I like it. Now will you leave me the h—"

"So let me buy you a drink at this 'place,'" Reno insists, "and I'll stop buggin' you to let me pay you back for the good fortune you gave me."

Cloud just stares at him… stares, and then without vocalizing just steps past the Turk into the street, with the slightest sway of his hips to his gait. They don't go far, stopping one building over in front of a place that's a few stories tall, patched together from old steel shipping containers. There are some windows, though, heavily curtained so nothing escapes. There's a bouncer at the door, a bear of a man who nods at Cloud as he approaches.

"New guy," the bouncer notes, and Cloud pouts.

"I couldn't stop him—he insisted on following me home."

"Heh." But they're waved through, and it instantly answered what kind of place it was. Most of the room was dedicated to a dance floor, where the music is played loud and steady, and the side and back walls were devoted to tables, booths, the bar. Reno didn't miss that there were two doors leading to the back, and one of them had a colorfully decorated "No Entry" sign. The lighting was pleasantly dim but shot through with color, most of it concentrated on the dance floor, and as for the patrons—

Men dancing with men, women dancing with women, some dancing with both—not new territory by any means, but they're dressed oddly than the standard crowd, bits of leather there, ruffles and lace elsewhere, one lady wearing hardly anything but some tutu-type thing—he knows it has a name but he can't remember whatever the hell it is. Not all of the patrons are dressed up quite so brightly—there are some in jeans, shirts, and Reno's pretty sure he recognizes the face of one lady sucking face in the corner as one of Rufus's secretaries, but he ain't gonna tell.

The bartender's a woman, too, tall and androgynous, wearing a perfectly pressed tux that fits her so well it had to have been made for her. Her make-up's femme enough though to give her away, bound breasts or not, and when she sees Cloud slinking his way around the room she gives him a charming smile.

"There you are, my dear! I was beginning to worry we'd offended you somehow."

"Of course not, Taka." Cloud steps up to the bar, and jerks a thumb at Reno. "This one's paying my tab tonight."

"Oh, is he?" Taka says, giving Reno a once-over. "Hmm. Not your usual."

"Not anyone's usual," Cloud says with a grin. "But he's all right. No need to water the drinks down on him."

"You tryin' to imply something about me, bird boy?" Reno asks, and looks to Taka. "Got the stuff for a good old fashioned Mako Bomb? Great. Down payment!" And without making it too obvious, he hands over some bills, and as Taka pulls them out of view behind the bar her eyebrows go up. But she nods, and without wasting time starts making the drink, calling out to someone named Loli.

"You gonna order?" Reno says, as Cloud is already heading away from the bar. There's a corner booth, tucked neatly away from the tables and the dance floor, and as Cloud slides into it Reno gets the feeling that most of the patrons probably just leave it alone even on the nights when he isn't here. Reno slides in, close but not too close, watching the dancers. When Cloud doesn't answer, he's about to open his mouth and say something about being rude, but then a young pretty thing in a Gothic Lolita getup shows up, places their drinks on the table, and flounces away.

"For how long have you been coming here?" Reno asks, watching as Cloud pulls his drink close, nurses it briefly before picking up the sprig of mint on the side and crushing the leaf on top.

"Long enough," Cloud says, taking a sip, and he leans back and surveys the rest of the bar. "I… helped Loli once, before the Edge was established. I didn't know she and Taka were going to set up a bar, but I got an invite hand-delivered by Taka herself. And I like it well enough, and she makes good drinks. So why the hell not?"

Reno snorts softly, pulling his own drink in. Mako Bombs were known for their bizarrely bright green color, and the good bars would drop an LED in to really make the drink glow. This was, apparently, one of those good bars. "It's just not… not like you, I guess." He glances over at Cloud, before keeping his eye on the dancers as well. "Not the kind of image you have outside of here, anyway. And, uh, don't get me wrong, because the only problem with your outfit is that I wanna tear you outta it as much as I enjoy seeing you in it—but you weren't exactly the party boy when you were a trooper."

"Mm." He's already made good headway into his drink, which makes Reno curious as to what the hell it is, but he knows he's pushing it already by asking so many questions. "So why did you bother?"

The sudden question catches him off guard. "Huh? Bother what?"

"Bother finding me out here," Cloud says, and his gaze leaves the dance floor to stare at Reno. "So you won a bet because of my riding. Great. Doesn't answer why you should bother sharing it with me."

"Aww, don't you wanna be coddled by someone other than Tifa sometimes?" Reno wheedles, and for a moment he thinks Cloud's going to kick him under the table, but the blond refrains. "And I mean, not like we see you much now that all the fighting's done. Other than the traffic cameras, anyway. So why not? Can't let you spend… spend all that time, cooped up."

Cloud puts down his empty glass, not reacting when Loli shows up to whisk it away and replace it with a second. For once, he's staring at a spot on the table. "What makes you think I'm cooped up?"

"Shit, Strife, it ain't hard. Look at you." Reno takes another sip of the Mako Bomb, enjoying the searing heat all the way down. "You know what was fun? Fighting you, that last time. We did it outta pride, sure, but watching you fight is like a… a…" He screws up his mouth, searching for the right words, unable to find them. "You were so alive. And after, when all the fighting was still going on, and the monsters… the way you'd go from at-rest to tearing-out-throats was awesome. You even impressed Rufus." He ignores Cloud's soft snort. "But now it's like the fighting's done and Cloud Strife has checked out."

"I'm still here," Cloud murmurs, taking another sip, but it's a weak response and Reno decides to press his advantage.

"So why stay here? I mean, we know you go out to take care of your birds sometimes, but you keep coming back to here. And you ain't screwing Tifa, you just tend to lurk around in the background when you ain't doing chores or shit."

Cloud's eyes slide closed. "Where else am I supposed to go, Turk? Tifa's still here, and she wants me here, even if there's not… not anything there. And there are still situations with monsters crawling up out of Sector Seven's ruins or attacking the walls. The others have their towns covered, and there's no reason to go back to Nibelheim alone. Even the actors cleared out of there, right?" He polishes off his second glass, and Reno spares a glance to the bar, hoping to catch Taka's attention so he can get another one in Cloud's hands. Stupid SOLDIER metabolisms—takes more than usual to get them drunk, but it's definitely doing something to get him to lower those walls of his.

"Eh… guess you got a point, there. Midgar's some kinda home for you, after all, huh?" Reno takes another sip of the Mako Bomb, slides his empty glass beside Cloud's. The place has started to pick up—more regulars are coming in, and he can see Loli with her hands full. "So why aren't you sleeping with her?"

Cloud's eyes come open at that, and he looks at Reno with something like alarm—which is kinda hilarious. "What?"

"Tifa." Reno watches as Loli swings by, and catches her eye. She comes over to take the drinks and he asks for a beer, and she nods and flits off, while Cloud still stares at Reno in confusion. "She was all over you before. Thought for sure there was something. Just didn't work out, huh?"

"Ah… I…" Cloud's gaze drops back to the table, without really seeing it. "I tried—I—"

Weirder still is the faint note of panic, and when Reno sees Cloud brace one hand against the table as if to get up and run away, he reaches over and strokes the knuckles of that hand. The gesture does just what it's supposed to do, and Cloud looks up at Reno and just shakes his head.

"Hey, I'm sorry, didn't realize it was that, uh, that way for you," Reno says, and it's mostly honest. When Loli magically appears with more booze, Reno is grateful, passes Cloud his drink and takes a first swig of his beer. Gods, this is the good kind. "So, what, she's not your type?"

"My type?" Cloud says, blinking up at Reno, and he seems even more confused, especially since there's another drink in his hands. "Reno, she… she's like my little sister. I can't—could never—"

He can't help a bark of laughter. "Wait, wait, don't tell me you're still hanging around 'cause you're trying to be some kinda elder brother watchdog or something—ow!" Reno rubs at his right arm, where Cloud has smacked him with the back of one hand.

"Anyway, we're sitting in the corner booth of a bar like this," Cloud says, sliding both hands around his drink, then lifting it for a sip. "What the hell do you think is my type?"

"Hard to tell, since it looks like all kinds in here. Or maybe that's the deal. So, what? Don't tell me there ain't anyone out here who's tried to take you home." He's answered with silence, and Reno's eyebrows go straight up. "You gonna leave me guessing all night?"

At that, Cloud glances at him, side-eyed, and he actually smirks.

***

Reno isn't certain just how many glasses of whatever it was that he got into Cloud, but when the pale cheeks are flushed and he has a harder time than normal putting his sentences together, Reno decides it's enough.

He isn't surprised to find out the bar has "personal rooms" upstairs, or that Loli slips him a key when he stands up and hauls Cloud up on his feet. Cloud insists he can walk by himself, thank you very much, and he manages pretty well until they open the door to the back and Cloud stops at the bottom of the stairs, staring upward to the second flight. Then he braces one hand on the rail and heads up, and Reno resists the urge to rub it in his face by going up and down the stairs beside him a few times.

Then they're inside the room and Reno has to admit it's more nicely furnished than he expected. Someone bothered using plaster and paint to make the room look less of a cobble of shipping containers, and there's a nice big print of a classical painting on one of the walls, and the curtains are thick to block out light and prying eyes, and the bed might have only been the size of a full, but it was more than enough for them. Then Cloud is collapsing into an armchair and leaning his head back, baring the column of his throat and Reno licks his lips and holds himself back. Instead he walks over to the chair, throws an arm along the back of it, grins down at him.

"Aww, tuckered out? You didn't even do any dancing."

"Shut up, Reno," Cloud mutters, eyes shut. "Nn… What did Taka fill in those?"

"I think you mean 'put' in those," Reno says. "And you know her better'n I do, so what do you think?"

"Nn." And that's all Cloud says, for a moment. Reno goes into the small wash closet to fill up a glass with water, returns with it in case Cloud really needs it, but he figures now's the time to ask.

"So, what is it, huh? The booze? Sex? Loli slips you a little something in a capsule? What?"

The burning blue cracks open, just a sliver in the dim light of the room, and at first Reno thinks Cloud isn't going to answer, in which case maybe he should've waited to get one more drink in him after all. "…I just… need to disappear."

"Disappear? From what?"

"Everything…" Cloud leans forward again, shoves the heel of one hand against his eye. "Midgar… has at least the cracks in it, I can… I can just slip away… for a little while."

Reno hesitates, and then slips his hand into the blond spikes, stroking them, surprised at just how soft they are. "And not any of your friends gonna think about you in a place like this, is that it?" Cloud doesn't answer, but he doesn't have to. "Well, shit… Any of them realize you're hurting like this, kid? No? Why the hell haven't you told any of 'em?"

Cloud shakes his head, minutely, but Reno can feel it, the tug of the hair and his fingers. He frowns down at Cloud, but keeps stroking his hair, nice calming gestures.

"So you come here 'cause they won't think to find you here," Reno says, keeping his voice quiet, "and the way the bouncer and Taka acted… it ain't just the drinks, Cloud." No response, and Reno holds down the glass of water, unsurprised to see the hand that takes it is shaking. He takes it away when Cloud's done, puts it aside on the little nightstand nearby, and decides to say the words that Cloud can't. "You sleeping around a bit, eh? Nothing wrong with that—ain't like you SOLDIER types can catch anything from it, and they shoot blanks, so—"

"S-stop," Cloud says, weakly. "It isn't… isn't like that…"

"Really? 'Cause that's sure as hell what it looks like, kiddo." Reno sniffs, and then bends down, keeping a hand in Cloud's hair, letting the other slide around one of his wrists, pushing it onto the arm of the chair. Cloud makes a soft sound, his breath catches, and Reno grins… but instead of his usual leer, it's small, knowing. "Yeah. I think I'm getting it. Your type. Hells, why don't you ask Valentine to help you out? He was a Turk, he'd get it."

"Because… Because he's got… had… _has_ Lucrecia," Cloud manages, and opens his eyes, looks up to lock gazes with Reno's. Reno can't help but lick his lips in response, the way Cloud's eyes have already started to darken. "And I shouldn't… it's not normal, it isn't what I'm supposed to be."

"Normal? Supposed to be? Heh, you missed that train a long time ago, bird boy. If you could stick to what you're supposed to be, you'd be shagging Tifa and have the two point five kids by now. Well, maybe one point five, with the other in a year or so. Dunno how eager she'd be to pop 'em out or get a dog or whatever." Cloud's jaw sets, and his eyes narrow in annoyance, but Reno keeps going with a grin. "Yeah. Well, you're right about one thing, Cloud. Midgar's big enough, still got its fractures, you can slip right into the cracks, disappear for a bit. So… you're here now, not Seventh Heaven. Tifa ain't gonna know, and I ain't about to blab my mouth off about this, either. You're disappeared. Now just be your hot fuckin' self for me, hm?"

His hand tightens in Cloud's hair, and Cloud makes that sound again, and Reno grins in a different way as he pulls Cloud's head back and sees that glorious white throat bared for him. He leans down, licks from collar bone all the way up past the slight Adam's apple, then diverts his attention to the joint of neck and shoulder and bites. Cloud gasps, fights back a soft moan as Reno sucks, lets his teeth dig in, knows he's going to be leaving marks. He pulls away to admire the bruise, the marked skin from his teeth.

"Oh, yeah… This is gonna be fun."

***

Reno releases Cloud's hair, leans in close to the blond's ear while his hands start undoing the buckle of Cloud's bag. "So, tell me about 'em." When a confused sound rises from Cloud's throat, Reno nips at Cloud's ear lobe, listens to his breath catch. "You know what I mean. Your 'type.' You really taking it in the ass from strangers now?"

"N-no," Cloud says. "Not… again, not like that…" He pulls away from Reno's head, doesn't react as Reno pulls his bag free from around his waist and drops it with a heavy thud to the floor beside the armchair.

"Not again, huh? So what is it? I'm curious." He leans down, lets his hands clasp either side of one of Cloud's legs, starts to pull it up… but only so he can start working on the buckles and zips of the boot on that foot.

"What's it mutter to you, Turk?" Cloud mumbles, and Reno snickers at the mix-up, but doesn't call Cloud's attention to it this time. He just pulls the boot off from Cloud's leg, releases it so he can repeat the same to the other. "I… I'm near with you, right?"

"Mm, yep, you are, but you've been here with others, too. Anyone else and I'd know. Hells, I can even tell you who Reeve's been taking to bed lately. But I don't know about you and yours." The boot drops, hits the floor with another satisfying sound, and Reno leans forward and finally gets to slide his hands around those hips, those hips that are being hugged so nice and tightly by the leather… and he notices something, chuckles as his hand passes over the front of them. "Heh, a cup? Smart."

"S-shut up," Cloud starts, but Reno doesn't let him finish. He leans in, and uses his hands to grip Cloud's hips, use a little nail, just enough that Cloud'll feel it through the leather too, and he crashes his mouth against Cloud's. The initial resistance melts away under his pressure, and Reno bites at Cloud's lip, that delicious glossy lip that's been teasing him the whole evening, and then he goes back to working Cloud's mouth open, until he can slide his tongue inside. And Cloud's squirming beneath him, his hands uncertain what to do, gripping the arms of the chair, and the softest, sexiest little noises keep trickling out of his throat, until even those are given over to the kissing.

When they separate, Cloud is panting softly beneath him, looking up at him and there's only a smoldering ring of bright blue in those eyes now. Reno licks his lips, slides one hand up under the long leather duster to stroke the smooth, muscular planes of Cloud's chest. Slight as Cloud is, he's still got some fascinating musculature under his fair skin, and he shivers when Reno's fingers slip over a nipple.

"So?" Reno asks, refusing to let it drop, or let Cloud continue to deny it. "What you do with 'em?"

"Usually… just get 'em off, going down on 'em works," Cloud breathes.

"Yeah? In this room?"

"No, sometimes, just… out in the hallway, here, or…"

"Heh, the booth? Right there in front of all those people? That's pretty damn impressive."

"N-no, there's—it's—can hide—"

"Doesn't matter much, does it? Taka knows what you're up to. Little Loli does, and you know what? I betcha most of the room knows, too, Cloud." He concentrates again on stroking Cloud's skin, and starts mixing it up, using his nails, watching the lines rise to the skin as he scrapes them across. "Even if they can't see it… you know they're thinking about it… imagining it…" He chuckles. "You know? Kinda like I bet they're doing right now. They saw us come up here. They know damn well what we're doing."

"Ah…" One of Cloud's hands comes up to his shoulder, pushes him away, and Reno lets himself get pushed away. It's all a little push and pull, with Cloud. Give and take. "Look, I… you… we… it's bad, for us, our jobs, doing this—it's complicational—dammit, complicated."

"Uh-huh," Reno says, doubtfully. "And you think that's gonna stop Rude from trying to shack up with your 'little sister'?" When Cloud doesn't respond, just looks away, Reno shakes his head. "Why fight it so much? You really ashamed of a little sex? You're a godsdamned adult, now, you can make your own damned choices." He pauses, then asks outright, "Or is it 'cause it's me?"

That gets Cloud to look at him again—well, so it takes him a bit to focus on Reno, but he does look at him, and his brow furrows with worry and concern. "No, that's not it. It… It's me—why are you—you could, with anyone else, so why… why me?"

"You look in a mirror lately?" Cloud doesn't answer that, and Reno frowns at him. "And anyway, why the hell not? I've wanted to since that first fight." A pause, a snicker. "Okay, maybe a bit more violently after that first fight. But you're struggling, any idiot oughta be able to see it, but your friends've got the blinders up. But you know what?" Reno puts a hand to Cloud's cheek, slides down to stroke the slightly bruised lower lip with his thumb. "I don't give a damn about any of that. What I want is to have a good time, and if I can keep you from doing something stupid to yourself—don't look so surprised, I think if it wasn't so damned hard for you to kick it you'd be tempted—then great. Because we still need you, you know."

"But… the monsters…"

"There's always monsters. Human, vermin, and otherwise." Reno decides they've spoken enough, and goes back to stroking Cloud's skin, watching as his fingers trailed down to Cloud's abdomen. "Didn't we all lose enough, that last fight? To save the Planet or whatever the hell. You know more about what went on than I did. But we all lost shit." Reno's fingers trail down again, catching on the hook that keeps Cloud's pants closed, then pulling down the zipper. He looks back up at Cloud's eyes. "Do we really gotta lose you, too?"

***

Cloud doesn't answer, but the fingers gripping Reno's shoulder tighten, and instead of pushing the Turk away he pulls him in closer, so that they're kissing again. It's a damned fine distraction from what Reno really wants to do next, but he enjoys it, and he's familiar enough with the complexities of underwear and male anatomy to slip his fingers inside the smooth briefs and pull out the cup, tossing it aside casually. Cloud actually releases a breath as Reno starts nibbling along the line of his jaw, and Reno's hand goes right back to where it was, pressing against the now-evident bulge at the front of Cloud's briefs.

"You like this, huh?" Reno asks, working his way down Cloud's throat, aiming toward those delicious fine collar bones. "You like the way this makes you feel?"

"Mm, y-yes…" And Cloud stifles a moan as Reno nips at one collar bone, and then his other hand finds its way into Reno's hair, grips, pulls his head away so he can look at him, his face. "Reno, get up." Despite his confusion, Reno does as asked, and when Cloud stands up he's amusingly shorter without the heeled boots on, but no less strong as he pushes Reno back to the bed in the room. He doesn't push him back down onto the bed, though, but drops down to his knees. Before Reno's hands can find their way into his hair, Cloud tilts his head and leans and close and just places his hot pretty mouth over the crotch of Reno's jeans and just… breathes. The heat on his arousal, even teasing through the layers of clothing, makes Reno close his eyes for just a moment.

Then, with a smirk, he looks down and spears his fingers through Cloud's hair, holding him there. "So, you do like it. Then work for it."

"Mm…" Cloud is surprisingly nimble with his tongue and mouth, gliding up and managing to undo the godsdamned button before gripping the zipper in his teeth and dragging it down, slowly. His hands are slowly working their way up Reno's legs, gripping and grabbing at the fabric, and once the jeans are undone they pull until jeans and boxers slide down and there's nothing between them but the air. Cloud raises a gloved hand, tentatively touches the tip of Reno's cock, watches it twitch, licks his lips and looks up at him through his bangs—

"Dammit, stop teasing."

But that only makes Cloud smirk up at him, and Reno just manages to stop himself from shoving his cock into that pretty smirking mouth. He does grip Cloud's hair more tightly, and Cloud takes the hint. He slides his fingers around Reno's cock first, as if measuring it, and there's something strange but hot feeling those smooth, smooth gloved fingers slipping around him. And then Cloud leans in, licks at the base, and Reno bites his lip before watching as Cloud travels from base to tip with his tongue, first in one long stroke, then going back and using little, nimble touches, flicking against a vein there, kissing a pulse there, until he gets back to the head. When he slides the head into his mouth, resting it on his tongue before closing his lips around it, he makes such a satisfied sound, and the vibrations travel down Reno's cock and straight to his godsdamned spine.

"Oh yeah, you do like this, don't you?" Reno breathes. He could have sworn he had heard the music from the floor below, earlier, but everything seems drowned out right now so that there's only this—the two of them, in this little room. "You gonna go down on me? You gonna make me all nice and hard so I can fuck you how you like it?"

Cloud makes another sound, and he does start to slide his mouth further down Reno's cock, but he stops and just sucks. It isn't that it doesn't feel good, but when he glances up at Reno again, Reno can swear he's smirking, even with his mouth full.

"The hell, you gonna tease me now?" Reno growls, and grips Cloud's hair more tightly and holds him still while pushing his hips forward. He can hear the quick intake of breath just before the head of his cock hits the back of Cloud's throat, and Reno tenses, groans, pulls back enough to give Cloud a brief moment before pushing himself in—all the way in, so Cloud's lips brush against his balls, and Reno can feel his cock sliding down Cloud's throat, and its wet, and tight, and Reno tilts his head back and shuts his eyes, because if he watches he knows it'll be over, and he doesn't want it to be over so soon. He pulls his hips back and thrusts again, and again, establishing a slow rhythm, a teasing one, feels it every time Cloud catches his breath, sucks on him, as if begging him to fuck him more, deeper.

The heated knot inside his belly just gets hotter, grows tighter, and Reno's tempted to come in Cloud's mouth anyway, force him to swallow, see how much of his load Cloud can keep and what will dribble down his chin, gods, the thought of it—but with a growl he shoves Cloud's head away, ignores the soft yelp, and tugs on the hair so Cloud has to look up at him, see him, with all of his hunger and all of his desire.

"I'm going to fuck you, Strife," he says, "so show me how you want it."

"Ah." When Reno releases his hair, Cloud struggles a bit, gets up onto his feet, makes it to the bed beside Reno. He collapses on it, rolls onto his back, then shakes his head and twists onto his belly. Even with the long duster on, when he stretches down and out, pressing his arms and chest along the bed, and raising his ass, Reno knows what he wants. He kicks off his pants the rest of the way and tears off his own shirt, letting them fall wherever, and climbs up onto the bed behind Cloud. He tosses the length of the duster to one side, and takes a moment to admire the view of Cloud's leather-clad butt, perfectly lit in that little dim room. He smirks, raises his hands and squeezes both cheeks, listening for the soft moan.

"Feels good, does it?" he breathes, and slides his left hand to the cleft, and drags his finger down, feeling along the seam there, watching for that point that makes Cloud squirm. When he finds it, he presses, listens to Cloud stifle another sound, and with a laugh he reaches up and grabs Cloud's own pants and briefs and pulls them down, resting his knees on the fabric, trapping Cloud's legs as they are, spread so that Cloud can't get away, not even if he wants to… and Reno gets the feeling that he really, really doesn't. With a chuckle, he lets his hands massage those cheeks again, before sliding them up Cloud's back, so he can brace himself over the smaller man, can rub his cock along Cloud's cleft. "You like this? What do you want me to do with it?"

"P-please," Cloud breathes, his hands gripping at the pillows, at the bed's comforter. "Please, Reno, please, fuck me."

"Dunno, Strife, you've been an ass tonight. Why the hell should I do something that makes you feel good?"

"Then don't, don't do it to make me feel good," Cloud says, turning his head, looking at Reno through his long blond hair, out the corner of his eye. "Do it to punish me, Turk. Or else I'll run—"

Reno laughs—he had Cloud pegged, all right. "You think I'm going to let you run now? After everything you and your friends did to us? You got another thing coming." And Reno snatches up a little something he'd kept around, along with the tube of lube… and the moment Cloud hears the knife blade release from the handle, he gasps—and Reno can feel Cloud's cock with his hand, feels the way it jolts at the sound. He smirks. "Let's have fun."

***

The trick was to do it bit by bit, so that they stayed hard until Reno was ready for fucking, and Cloud was ready, and they were both as teased as they were going to get. He didn't want it to end too soon, after all—he's finally gotten Cloud to let down some of his defenses, some of his walls, and damn if they aren't both going to enjoy it. If anything, he kinda wishes he'd brought more things along, or that the place was at least better stocked in the bedroom.

Looks like he found one negative to the place, after all.

He teases with the blade of the knife down Cloud's back, letting it press against the leather without cutting—not yet. He teases and draws it down until it reaches the small of Cloud's back, where the duster had been brushed aside, and he can feel Cloud's shiver as he pauses, on the edge of skin.

"Guess I shouldn't be too surprised you'd have a thing for blades," Reno observes, keeping his voice low, intimate, smooth, even as he starts to pull the knife off the leather and onto Cloud's skin. He shifts it so only the back edge of the knife—the blunt side—rests against Cloud, before he starts sliding it further down until it reaches the tip of Cloud's cleft. Cloud's really trembling, now, and Reno can smell it, the hint of real fear mingled in with the desire. He finally eases up, leans over Cloud and hooks the sharp edge of the blade under the leather duster, and slices down it with the same slowness as before. Only Cloud can hear the leather ripping, Cloud can feel Reno pulling it into two, and sometimes Reno even lets Cloud feel the knife itself, nipping at his spine. Once he reaches the lower half of the duster, he just holds it up and shreds it down the middle, casting each piece to either side. The sleeves fall down Cloud's arms, leaving him in only the long gloves, and Reno considers cutting them off, too. But he thinks better of it, and only takes a moment to jab the knife into the headboard.

"I'm gonna go easy on you, this time," Reno promises, watching Cloud shiver, and he leans down and licks up along one of the thin crimson lines down Cloud's back, listening to Cloud's soft sound of desire, the way he responds to the feel of Reno's hands holding his hips steady, in place, so he can take his time. And Cloud's blood is… interesting. Not like he ever cut up a lot of SOLDIERs, definitely not like this, but there's something bittersweet about it that reminds him of something. It certainly wasn't normal, that's for sure. Still, it feels good, and when he reaches the small of Cloud's back he bites, grinning at the smothered cry.

"Reno, _please_ ," Cloud says, covering up his head with his arms, hands gripping his own hair. He's shaking all over, now, and Reno frowns. He knows the kid's enjoying it on some level, but the distress feels real, too.

"Why?" Reno says, but he uncaps the tube and holds the edge over Cloud's ass, squeezing and watching Cloud startle at the feel of the cold gel. "You made me wait all night. You can wait until I'm good and ready." Another squirt, this time into his own hand, and he waits for it to warm up before slathering it liberally on his cock. Gods, it feels good, but he can wait. He can wait just a bit longer. "Unless you turn into a pumpkin or something at 0100 hours or something. Then I guess I'd hurry it up. Screwing pumpkins would be weird, yo, even for me."

"I… I need it."

"This?" Reno moves in closer, rubs his cock along the line of Cloud's ass. "Is this what you want? Is my cock the only thing that you like about me?"

"No…! Just… I need to forget." The trembling stops, and Cloud twists his head around, as well as he's able given their positions, and Reno swears he feels his heart drop. "Please…" And it isn't just the sex anymore, and Reno knows it, wonders just what the hell has happened to Cloud to screw him up this badly. He doesn't strike Reno as someone who could get addicted to anything, not even sex, even if he does use it to take the edge off his grief, his survivor's guilt.

"What, you gonna forget this, too, when we're done?" Reno says, and he forces a snarl as he reaches with a hand to push Cloud's head back down, uses the other to guide his dick to Cloud's entrance. He hasn't fingered him at all, worries about it momentarily, but then starts to push himself in. Breathing out, he mentally wills Cloud to relax, to just fuckin' open up, and Cloud has stilled under him, just panting, his face turned away. But then his breathing evens out, and he breathes out, and he relaxes just that little bit that Reno needs to push through that ring of muscle.

And gods, it takes every bit of patience he has not to just thrust on through until he's buried in to the hilt, but Cloud has just cried out and when Reno starts to pull back, threatening to leave him, he practically mewls. His gloved fingers scrabble at the sheets until they finally clench shut, and Reno pushes in, bit by bit, biting his own lower lip and forcing himself to take it slow.

But that heat. That hot, tight, compact body around his own, and when Cloud clenches—whether he means to or not—it squeezes his cock in just the right way.

"That's it, babe, that's it," Reno says, pushing himself in and in until he feels his balls against Cloud's butt. He stays seated there, and then grabs at those hips with his hands, and holds Cloud still so he can pull out and thrust. It isn't much, but the friction is perfect, and Cloud moans, and Reno smirks as he thrusts again. Whatever had bothered Cloud, he seems to have forgotten it now, and so Reno gets down to the business of fucking him.

Short thrusts first, still letting Cloud's ass get used to the length of him, the feel of him, and when he feels Cloud starting to push back against those he pulls back further and really starts to pound him, strong and deep. Reno hears his voice, knows he's murmuring vulgar encouragement, but he just keeps listening to those tiny sounds, and every time he draws out a real cry it feels like a victory.

Fucking, and fucking, and it's so godsdamned perfect that Reno starts fucking him faster, with more shallow thrusts, hears himself starting to pant, to breathe faster, can feel Cloud's heat around his dick and in his balls and winding about in his gut. Then there's a jolt, straight to his spine, and Reno shouts as he comes, bucking into Cloud's ass and holding him there. He cracks open his eyes, hears Cloud's plaintive moan, and lets go of Cloud's hips, ignoring the welts his hands have left behind. He braces himself, using one hand to grip Cloud's wrist, while his other hand slides down Cloud's front, finds his cock, and starts stroking it. It's hot and heavy in his hand, and Cloud's body responds to the touches instantly, clenching around his own member, pushing into each stroke of his fingers.

Then he feels the jolt, the liquid, feels Cloud clench and thrust and his back arches as he screams. He howls. And even though his brain is still wrapped up in a layer of afterglow, Reno hears the note of pain.

He waits until Cloud's finished. He waits until he can watch Cloud's arms give out on him, his body sink down into the bedding. Reno sinks down on top of him, circles his arms around him, pulls him in close and rolls over so neither of them will be lying in the wet spot, and the movement pulls his softening cock from Cloud's body, causing both of them to grunt at the sensation.

Quiet. Breath. The beat of the music playing downstairs finally reaches Reno's awareness again. He blinks his eyes, looks down at the crown of bright blond hair, feels the gentle rise and fall of Cloud's chest against his hands, in his arms.

"You conk yourself out, there?" he asks.

"Nn."

"I'll take that as a no, maybe," Reno says. "You wanna go someplace different?"

"Don't… want to move."

"Yeah? Yeah, we can do that. We can stay here a bit." And he realizes he's not really used to it. Usually with this kind of dalliance there's little snuggling, just business, and then out the door he goes. Sure, it's different with Rufus, and those occasional times when he used to do it with Rude, but he didn't think he'd actually be spooning Cloud fuckin' Strife at the end of this.

Fucking Cloud Strife.

***

He wakes up sometime later. The music's stopped, but they haven't been kicked out, so he guesses it is part of the rules here that they can stay overnight. Cloud is still curled up in his arms and hasn't moved at all, apparently, so Reno carefully pulls away from him so he can sit up, run a hand through his hair. He looks down at Cloud, notices he still seems asleep, and debates whether it would be better to go or to stay. He has some idea, but… but first, he needs to relieve himself. Damned drinks.

He takes care of business, scrounges about the discarded clothes for his jacket, fumbles out his PHS and checks. There's a message from Tseng reminding him that his surveillance report is due that afternoon, and Reno shakes his head, flips the unit shut… and notices the soft glow coming from one side of the bed.

"Yo. You awake?"

"You stayed…?" Cloud still sounds a bit dazed, pushes himself up, looks around. "Ah—we're—we're here?"

Reno walks over to Cloud's side of the bed, grins down at him. "What, you think you were just imagining those good times last night? Guess I should be glad I'm one of your happy dreams." He doesn't even see the pillow coming, but it smacks his face with a pleasing puffy sound, and he laughs as he catches it, holds onto it. "You're the one who said it!"

"I didn't, you inferred it," Cloud says, and curls up, arms around his legs, chin resting on his knees. His gaze drops. "S-sorry about that… that it was weird."

"Cloud." He tosses the pillow to the other side of the bed, reaches down and tweaks a forelock to get his attention. "What part of that do you honestly think I didn't enjoy?" When Cloud just blinks at him, he gestures. "Big wet spot over there, and I guarantee it didn't appear magically overnight."

"Ah…? Oh."

"Anyway, what the hell. I friggin' initiated it, we both kept it going, we both had a happy ending. Don't see why there's anything to apologize for." He picks up the glass from the nightstand, retreats back to the wash closet to get more water for them. He comes back to the side of the bed, sits down on the mattress and takes a sip while Cloud stares at his toes some more.

"I… It's… It's been awhile, since I've done that."

Reno blinks. "…The hell? But you said—"

He runs a hand through his hair, but at least he doesn't grip it, pull it. "I… I told you I wasn't doing that kind of thing…"

Another pause. "The hell?! I thought you just meant most of the time, you aren't taking it in the ass, not that you haven't been doing it at all. Gods." He shoves the glass of water at Cloud. "Drink it. You still look a little drunk."

Cloud takes the glass, sips from it, holds onto it carefully. He's even still wearing the gloves. "I mean… I know it's still… it's still sex."

"Yeah?" Reno thinks about it, then nods. "But one you have a lot easier time staying in control. You seem to be in a vulnerable position but if the other guy starts to be an asshole you can easily deal with him, even if you're plastered. The other… not so much. And nope, would never have pegged you as a control freak—put the godsdamned pillow down!" But he's grinning as he says it, sees even the corner of Cloud's mouth quirked up, though he's trying to hide it. "I think I get it. You can disappear here, but you still got control. Kinda like your bike, yo. All the freedom, but nothing you can't handle." He watches as Cloud takes another sip of water, drains it down to halfway, holds it back out to Reno. He takes it. "So why the hell did you trust me enough to do it?"

Cloud's quiet again, looking toward one of the curtained windows. "…Don't know," he says, finally, and shrugs.

"And the control thing? You friggin' took down Sephiroth. If it's about safety, I don't think you've got anything to worry about, there. Also I don't think you'd be coming out to the Edge to feel safe."

The distance is back, and it doesn't seem like Cloud is going to answer that one. Reno sighs, stands up, knocks back the rest of the water, and starts to pick up his clothes from the floor, tossing them onto the bed in a single pile. Cloud just watches him, and Reno is starting to feel unnerved by it by the time he's jamming his foot into a sock.

"…It isn't safety. Not really. It's… It's to deal with the ghost."

The whisper is just quiet enough he would have missed it if he'd been putting on a belt or something, but as it is he's only slipping on the second sock when Cloud says that ridiculous thing. Reno looks up, mouth open to start about mountain boy superstitions, until he sees the look on Cloud's face.

"He's never really gone away."

It's weird. It's the strangest thing. It's like Cloud's skin has grown so pale it's practically translucent, and Cloud's pupils are still dilated in the dim light, but the Mako glow is brighter, brighter than before. But there's the expression. That expression.

"I tried it, once. I tried to do it that way, with someone, and… I couldn't. I couldn't, because that person wasn't him. And I didn't… didn't react well."

"You didn't kill the poor fucker, did you?" Reno asks, and Cloud shakes his head, leans back against the headboard. "That's a relief, 'cause I've seen you when you flip out. Terrifying."

"Yeah… That's why." Cloud shrugs. "I'm usually alone, after I give the other person what they want. And I come in here after, and he's always there, waiting for me. Heh… What the hell does that say about me? That I can't let him go, even after… after I…" Another hand over his face, and Reno can't figure out if it would be better to go to his side, touch his shoulder, let him know he's there… or just to stay where he is, and let Cloud have his grief. Apparently no one else has. Another breath, and when Cloud looks up again, he seems his normal self again. "Anyway, you can take care of yourself, can't you? And nothing went wrong. So, I guess you no longer owe me any of your winnings, hm?"

"Not normal," Cloud had said before. That what he wanted was "wrong." When thrown into context, when the godsdamned madman is thrown in there, that explains it. It explains a hell of a lot.

"Yeah." Reno says, carefully, pulling up his boxers, his jeans, grabbing his shirt. "Gotta get going to work in a few hours, anyway." But it doesn't feel right, leaving it like this, leaving him like this, alone again, and Reno frowns. "So get your ass outta bed and c'mon, sleepyhead." When Cloud looks at him with alarm, Reno tosses his bag at him. "You brought spare clothes in there, right? Or the ones from yesterday. That'll work for going out and getting breakfast somewhere, won't it?"

Cloud stares at the bag, then looks to Reno. "You sure?"

"I offered, didn't I? Besides, if you think you're gonna scare me away that easily…" He pulls on his jacket, checks to make sure his PHS unit is right where it belongs, his wallet, his keys. "I don't believe in ghosts. I _do_ believe in stomach monsters, though, so let's go so we can nab the best donuts before they sell out, yo."

And Cloud washes the make-up off, gets dressed, reverts back to the Cloud Strife that the rest of the world knows. Reno claps a hand to his back as they leave the room, keeps up the idle chatter as they leave the building, step out into the gloomy predawn darkness, start down the street, away from the Edge, back toward civilization.

Reno doesn't believe in ghosts. But he knows that Sephiroth came back from the dead once already, and when Cloud says good-bye later and starts walking away, the streetlights throw his shadow against the sidewalk, against the wall… and Reno decides to keep his mouth shut when one of those shadows does not match its owner.

**Author's Note:**

> Admittedly, a chunk of the first bit at the bar are cannibalized from an RP I did with rissicat. Used with permission!
> 
> Other than that, that bit at the end came out from nowhere. I wasn't expecting it, but then Cloud actually opened up and started talking. And at first Reno and I both thought it was nothing, but then there were shadows.
> 
> And now there's a whole other alternate thing spinning out in my head and I'm telling myself NOT to write it. Sigh.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed it!


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